 realised that he and several colleagues were likely to lose their jobs with a major Indian edtech firm, he immediately set up a private messaging group with them.The group soon became a "safe space" for Ravi and his teammates to air their fears, share tips on dealing with the management and discuss labour laws and workers' rights. "It helped many in the team negotiate better exit policies with the company," Ravi says.The past few months have been difficult for Indian workers in private companies - especially in the tech sector. Edtech firms Byju's and Unacademy have cut hundreds of jobs; social media giant Twitter has laid off more than half of its staff in India and Indians are among those affected after Meta - Facebook's parent company - shaved off about 13% of its 87,000-strong workforce.The spate of layoffs has sparked outrage on social media and many of those affected are turning to the internet - like their counterparts in other countries - to air their dissatisfaction and form support networks. They're tweeting about unceremonious firings, asking for jobs on LinkedIn, and using messaging platforms such as WhatsApp and Slack to rally colleagues, assert their rights and share information with journalists.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Twitter fired thousands of people after Elon Musk took overThis is partly because the culture of shame and silence that once existed around terminations in India is gradually wearing thin as mass layoffs become more common. And while the jury is still out on how effective social media is as a tool for redressal, experts say that it is helpin){kind=link}
Thousands of young Indians are suddenly staring at an uncertain future as technology companies and start-ups announce mass layoffs due to global headwinds and funding crunches. But many are refusing to stay quiet about it.
In October, when Ravi (name changed on request) realised that he and several colleagues were likely to lose their jobs with a major Indian edtech firm, he immediately set up a private messaging group with them.
The group soon became a “safe space” for Ravi and his teammates to air their fears, share tips on dealing with the management and discuss labour laws and workers’ rights.
“It helped many in the team negotiate better exit policies with the company,” Ravi says.
The past few months have been difficult for Indian workers in private companies – especially in the tech sector. Edtech firms Byju’s and Unacademy have cut hundreds of jobs; social media giant Twitter has laid off more than half of its staff in India and Indians are among those affected after Meta – Facebook’s parent company – shaved off about 13% of its 87,000-strong workforce.